Best Schools for Black Students in Iowa (2026)

These are the Iowa public schools where black students scored highest on the state reading and math tests, ranked by the average of the two proficiency rates. Only schools with at least 20 tested black students are included. The list reflects how students in this group perform at each school; it is not a ranking of schools by their demographic makeup.

Other lists: Asian · Hispanic · Low-income · Multiracial · American Indian / Alaska Native · White

Elementary schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Fellows Elementary School Ames	70%	70%	20	A+
2	Whittier Elementary School Clinton	70%	70%	30	C+
3	Bryant Elementary School Sioux City	50%	70%	21	D
4	Maple Grove Elementary School West Des Moines	50%	70%	22	C+
5	Eason Elementary School Waukee	50%	70%	21	B
6	Willowbrook Elementary Altoona	50%	70%	28	C
7	Titan Hill Intermediate School Council Bluffs	50%	70%	21	C
8	Willard Elementary School Des Moines	50%	70%	22	D
9	Grant Wood Elementary School Bettendorf	30%	70%	28	D
10	James Wilson Grimes School Burlington	70%	30%	27	B
11	North Hill Elementary School Burlington	50%	50%	27	D
12	Meeker Elementary School Ames	50%	50%	22	A
13	Pierce Elementary School Cedar Rapids	50%	50%	20	C+
14	Grant Elementary School Cedar Rapids	50%	50%	30	D
15	Prairie View Elementary School Cedar Rapids	50%	50%	24	B+
16	South Prairie Elementary Grimes	50%	50%	24	A+
17	Horizon Elementary Johnston	45%	55%	36	A
18	Hiawatha Elementary School Hiawatha	50%	50%	20	B
19	Storm Lake Elementary Storm Lake	50%	50%	22	D
20	Hunt Elementary School Sioux City	50%	50%	23	D
21	Wilson Elementary School Ottumwa	45%	55%	31	D
22	Westfield Elementary School Robins	50%	50%	27	A
23	Timber Ridge Elementary Johnston	50%	50%	24	A
24	Arthur Elementary School Cedar Rapids	45%	45%	34	C+
25	Harrison Elementary School Cedar Rapids	45%	45%	31	D

Middle schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Prairie Ridge Middle School Ankeny	70%	75%	30	A+
2	Jordan Creek Elementary School West Des Moines	70%	70%	22	B+
3	Holmes Junior High School Cedar Falls	70%	70%	23	A+
4	Harrison Elementary School Davenport	55%	75%	41	D
5	Parkview Middle School Ankeny	70%	50%	20	A+
6	Clear Creek Amana Middle School Tiffin	55%	65%	31	A+
7	Johnston Middle School Johnston	55%	65%	56	A+
8	Pleasant Valley Junior High School Leclaire	50%	70%	28	A+
9	Riverdale Heights Elem School Bettendorf	50%	70%	22	A+
10	Spring Creek - 6th Grade Pleasant Hill	45%	75%	34	A
11	South Middle School Waukee	65%	55%	58	A+
12	Timberline School Waukee	65%	55%	38	A+
13	Crossroads Park Elementary School West Des Moines	70%	50%	23	A+
14	Norman Borlaug Elementary School Coralville	52%	57%	80	A+
15	Summit Middle School Johnston	57%	52%	92	A+
16	Berg Middle School Newton	55%	55%	41	C+
17	Urbandale Middle School Urbandale	55%	55%	60	C+
18	Stilwell Junior High School West Des Moines	55%	55%	51	A
19	Ernest Horn Elementary School Iowa City	47%	57%	64	C
20	Weber Elementary Iowa City	47%	57%	67	C
21	Oak Ridge Middle School Marion	55%	45%	43	A+
22	James Van Allen Elementary School North Liberty	50%	50%	25	B
23	Longfellow Elementary School Iowa City	50%	50%	24	C+
24	Gerald W Kirn Middle School Council Bluffs	55%	45%	34	C
25	Bettendorf Middle School Bettendorf	52%	47%	85	B

High schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Valley High School West Des Moines	75%	55%	47	A+
2	Waukee High School Waukee	70%	50%	29	A
3	Bettendorf High School Bettendorf	70%	50%	28	A
4	Linn-Mar High School Marion	50%	50%	26	B+
5	John F Kennedy High School Cedar Rapids	50%	50%	27	A
6	George Washington High School Cedar Rapids	47%	42%	71	C+
7	Ames High School Ames	50%	30%	26	A+
8	Prairie High School Cedar Rapids	50%	30%	20	C+
9	Dubuque Senior High School Dubuque	30%	50%	20	C
10	Hempstead High School Dubuque	50%	30%	30	C
11	Southeast Polk High School Pleasant Hill	30%	50%	21	C+
12	North High School Davenport	45%	35%	51	D
13	East High School Waterloo	37%	37%	66	D
14	Thomas Jefferson High School Cedar Rapids	42%	32%	69	D
15	Liberty High School North Liberty	35%	35%	41	C+
16	Johnston Senior High School Johnston	30%	35%	29	A
17	West High School Waterloo	37%	27%	75	C
18	West Senior High School Iowa City	32%	32%	79	B
19	Roosevelt High School Des Moines	32%	27%	112	D
20	Iowa City High School Iowa City	22%	27%	68	C+
21	Central High School Davenport	25%	25%	55	C
22	Lincoln High School Des Moines	25%	22%	60	D
23	Burlington Community High School Burlington	30%	10%	28	D
24	North High School Sioux City	25%	15%	38	D
25	West High School Davenport	25%	15%	34	D

Source: U.S. Department of Education EDFacts (state assessment results by student group) via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Small schools report results as ranges; we use the midpoint. Methodology

Best Schools for Black Students in Iowa (2026)

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

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